Chucking and focusing device for a telescope eyepiece and its production process

ABSTRACT

A chucking and focusing device for an telescope eyepiece includes an eyepiece barrel consisting of an inner tube and an outer tube and damper formed with multiple elastic strips in a radial shape, and a constrict ring with female threads engaging the male threads of the outer tube and clamper. The inner tube, the outer tube and damper and the constrict ring are threadably combined with one another, so that rotating the constrict ring can gradually clamp the elastic strip and then the eyepiece tightly with its axis not biasing. A production process for the chucking and focusing device for an telescope eyepiece includes two steps. One step is to machine multiple lengthwise grooves in an inner surface of a metal constrict tube with its thickness being the same as the depth of the elastic strip. Another step is to machine the metal constrict tube to form elastic strips until the grooves are exposed, forming a single elastic strip between every two grooves, finishing forming of the clamper.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the priority of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/642,343 of inventor Chun-Chang Kuo (a.k.a. Paul Kuo) titled “Chucking and Focusing Device For a Telescope Eyepiece and its Production Process” filed Jan. 6, 2005 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a chucking and focusing device for a telescope eyepiece and its production process, particularly to one possible to clamp and focus an eyepiece without significant eccentricity, and a method for producing it.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A conventional Newtonian reflective telescope shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a tubing body 10, an eyepiece barrel 220 fixed vertically on one side of the barrel body 10 and having one end fitting around an eyepiece 21, and then the eyepiece 21 and the eyepiece barrel 20 are tightly combined together with a screw 22. The eyepiece barrel 20 consists of an outer tube 23 and an inner tube 24, and the outer tube 23 is connected tightly with eyepiece barrel 10. Further, two adjusting wheels 220 are provided to be connected with the outer end of the inner tube 23, and a worm 241 connects the two adjusting wheels 220. The inner tube 23 has a rack 230 fixed lengthwise on its outer surface, and the rack 230 engages the worm 230 in case of the inner tube 23 extending in the outer tube 24, so that the worm 230 rotates at the place synchronously when the adjusting wheel 240 is rotated for adjustment, Then the rack 230 and the inner tube 23 is lengthened or shrunk for focusing the eyepiece 21.

However, the conventional telescope has following disadvantages in usage.

1. The eyepiece 21 has one end extending and fixed in the inner tube 23 of the eyepiece barrel 20, by the screw 22 entering the inner tube 23 from outward and vertically and then tightly fastening stably the eyepiece 21. This way of fastening obviously push eyepiece 21's optical axis away from the axis of the eyepiece barrel causing eccentricity between two axes, and thus causing difficulty of focusing good image quality.

2. When the inner tube 23 and the outer tube 24 are adjusted in their length, it has to depend on matching movement of the two adjust wheels 240, the worm 241 and the rack 230, complicated in its structure, and subsequent high cost, and rather slow in its adjusting speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention has been devised to offer a chucking and focusing a telescope eyepiece to simplify its focusing structure and production process, and mainly to minimize eccentricity of axes between an eyepiece and an eyepiece barrel.

Another purpose of the invention is to offer a production method for the clamping chuck.

A first feature of the invention is a chuck provided with male threads on an end connected with an eyepiece, and multiple elastic strips formed on the outer end section with their ends expanding outward a little. Further a constrict ring is provided with female threads to engage the eyepiece barrel and an annular projecting ridge in an inner surface and located outside the elastic strips. Then the eyepiece is inserted in a space defined by the elastic strips. Rotating the constrict ring can force the projecting ridge move toward the end of the elastic strips so that the elastic strips may clamp the eyepiece tightly, with the axis of the eyepiece not biasing from the axis of the eyepiece barrel after adjustment.

A second feature of the invention is a method to produce the chuck for clamping and focusing. The step of the method is to machine by a turning lathe an outer end section of a metal constrict tube, while the inner tube is in advance extruded with multiple longitudinal grooves, with multiple elastic strips are shaped after the grooves are partially cut by the turning lathe Above two components form the clamping chuck in the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

This invention will be better understood by referring the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional telescope;

FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the conventional telescope;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a telescope with an eyepiece chuck and focusing device in the this invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the chuck in this invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the chuck in this invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the chuck moved in a way in this invention;

FIG. 7-1, 7-2, and 7-3 are structural views of the chuck in this invention; and,

FIG. 8-1, 8-2, 8-3 and 8-4 are perspective views of the chuck being formed in order with four steps in this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of a chuck for focusing a telescope eyepiece in this invention as shown in FIGS. 3, and 4, includes a eyepiece barrel 30 consisting of an inner tube 31 and an outer tube and damper (or chuck) 32 combined together.

The inner tube 31, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, is provided with first male threads 310 at one end, a stop flange 311 just behind the male threads 310, and second male threads 312 at the other end. The male threads 310 engage a cylindrical body 40 of a telescope, and the stop flange 311 is to be stopped by an outer wall of the cylindrical body 40.

The outer tube and damper 32 is provided with female threads 320 to engage the male threads 310 of the inner tube 31, a neck 321 on the end connected with an eyepiece 50 and having a reverse male threads 3210 and an elastic strips 322 radially arranged to extend from the neck 321 and expanding outward a little.

A constrict ring 33 is further provided, having reverse female threads 330 in an inner wall and an annular projecting ridge 331 contacting the outer wall of the elastic strips 322, and the reverse female threads 330 engage the reverse male threads 3210 of the neck 321.

In using the damper after assembled as described above, referring to FIG. 5, there are three ways as follows.

1. In adjusting the length of the inner tube 31 and the outer tube and damper 32, the damper 32 is rotated only in the clockwise direction to shrink the total length of the inner tube 31 and the damper 32, as shown in FIG. 6. On the contrary, if the clamper 32 is rotated in counterclockwise, the inner tube 31 and the damper 32 are both lengthened in the total length or the whole length of the eyepiece barrel 30.

2. To remove the eyepiece 50 away from the clamped position by the strips 322, rotate the constrict ring 33 counterclockwise can make it owing to the reverse male threads 3210 of the damper 32. Then the projecting ridge 331 of the constrict ring 33 moves towards the expanded end of the elastic strips 332, as shown in FIG. 6. At the same time, the projecting ridge 331 constricts the elastic strips 332 to the intermediate direction as to clamp the eyepiece 50 more tightly. As the eyepiece 50 is clamped by the elastic strips 332, which is constricted by the constrict ring 33, the axis of the eyepiece 50 after positioned may be the same as the axis of the eyepiece barrel 30, not biasing. In case the eyepiece 50 is needed to be taken off, the constrict ring 33 is rotated in counterclockwise, and the constrict ring 33 moves to the end of the inner tube 31 because of the reverse female threads 330 engaging the reverse male threads 3210. Then the projecting ridge 331 of the constrict ring 33 moves towards the base of the elastic strips 332, no longer constricting the ends of the elastic strips 322, permitting the eyepiece 50 easily taken off the elastic strips 322.

3. The inner tube 31 and the damper 32 are threadably combined in the clockwise direction, and the constrict ring 33 and the damper 32 are threadably combined in the counterclockwise direction, so if the damper 32 is rotated to lengthen the eyepiece barrel 30, and the user erroneously rotates the constrict ring 33 and not the clamp 32 in the clockwise direction, the constrict ring 33 only can constrict the elastic strips 322 to tighten further, with no fear of the eyepiece 50 fallen off.

The production process for the damper 32 in the invention is to be described now. The damper 32 is made of metal, as shown in FIG. 7, having one end formed with normal female threads 320, and the other end formed with the elastic strips 322 of a circular shape for constricting the eyepiece 50, and reverse male threads 3210 formed in the base of the elastic strips 322.

1. A first step of preparing a hollow metal clamp tube 32A with plural straight male threads on the outer surface and with plural lengthwise grooves 32B spaced apart in an inner surface, as shown in FIG. 8. The depth of the lengthwise grooves 32B is as deep as the thickness of the finished elastic strips 322.

2. A second step is to machine the metal clamp tube 32A (preferably aluminum) for forming the outer end section with the elastic strips 322 with a needed length until the lengthwise grooves 32B are exposed. Then the part between every two grooves becomes one of the elastic strips 322, as shown in FIG. 8-2. If the inner surface of the elastic strips 322 is needed to be added with functional moderation, its has to be done before the lengthwise groove 232B formed

3. A third step is to form the reverse male threads 3210 on the base of the elastic strips 322, as shown in FIG. 8-3.

4. The fourth step is to form clockwise female threads on the other end, as shown in FIG. 8-4, finishing the damper 32 made of metal of a circular shape with multiple nails.

The thickness of the elastic strips 322 is the same as the depth of the lengthwise grooves 32B. If the thickness of the elastic strips 322 is wanted to be thicker, the lengthwise grooves 32B have to be thicker, too. The process in the invention can surely make the metal damper 32 to have thin elastic strips 322, improving the drawback of the conventional clamper.

In general, the eyepiece barrel 30 can be made very simple for adjusting, and the eyepiece 50 may have the axis the same as the axis of the eyepiece barrel 30, with the eyepiece 50 easily and accurately positioned.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all the medications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A chucking and focusing device for a telescope eyepiece comprising: An eyepiece barrel consisting of an inner tube and an outer tube and clamper: Said outer-tube and damper having male threads on an outer surface, plural elastic strips formed radially in the outer end section of said outer-tube damper and having outer ends expanding outward a little: A constrict ring having female threads on its inner wall of one end, said female threads engaging said male threads of said outer tube and clamper, an annular projecting ridge formed on the inner surface and located outside said elastic strips: An eyepiece inserted in a space defined by said elastic strips of said outer tube and clamper, said annular projecting ridge moved towards the outer ends of said elastic strips by rotating said constrict ring, said constrict ring constricting the outer ends of said elastic strips and said eyepiece so that the axis of said eyepiece may not bias after adjustment.
 2. The chucking and focusing device for an telescope eyepiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein said eyepiece barrel has said inner tube provided with male threads at a first end for engaging a cylindrical body of a telescope, said inner tube further has normal (clockwise) male threads at a second end; said outer tube and damper has normal (clockwise) female threads at an inner surface of a second end, said normal female threads engage said normal male threads so that the whole length of said lens cylinder may be adjusted.
 3. The chucking and focusing device for an telescope eyepiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner tube and said outer tube and damper are threadably combined with normal male and female threads, and said constrict ring has reverse (counterclockwise) threads.
 4. A production process for a chucking focusing device for an telescope eyepiece, said process comprising: A first step of forming plural lengthwise grooves in an inner surface of a metal constrict tube, said grooves having the depth the same as the thickness of said elastic strips to be formed on said metal constrict tube; A second step of machining said metal constrict tube to form said elastic strips of a preset length by means of a turning lathe until said grooves are exposed, to naturally form a single elastic strip between every two neighboring grooves to finish the production process of said metal damper with said thin elastic strips.
 5. The production process for a chucking and focusing device for a telescope eyepiece as claimed in claim 4, wherein said metal constrict tube is made of aluminum. 